


Jailbait

by Neroli66



Series: Tilt [1]
Category: Firefly
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gen, Master/Slave, Rayne-ish
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-03-20
Updated: 2006-03-20
Packaged: 2019-09-15 13:49:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16934409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Neroli66/pseuds/Neroli66
Summary: Jayne gets caught on his home world, River bails him out, so to speak.





	Jailbait

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for the fast like a freak beta from [](https://calmacil-20.livejournal.com/profile)[](https://calmacil-20.livejournal.com/)**calmacil_20**. He also deserves kudos (or something) for convincing me this idea had merit.  
> And two more super fast betas with lots of help with the flowy stuff and forcing me to make myself clearer from [](https://aliaspiral.livejournal.com/profile)[](https://aliaspiral.livejournal.com/)**aliaspiral** , thanks muchly!  
> Any remaining flaws are mine.  
> I won't be writing sequels to this, but more then likely will write more vignettes based in this little 'verse. Muse willing and as the mood strikes.

  
Jayne sat on the cold, hard floor and glared out of his cell at the tiny bit of a girl calmly sitting at the deputy's desk. It might not be her fault he was in this mess, but River sure didn’t seem overly inclined to help him out by going and telling Mal or Zoë that he’d been pinched.

She’d just happened to be nearby at the time he was getting picked up, and had tagged along as the sheriff and his boys took him in. He still weren’t sure why she’d followed, nor why they’d let her. Made him more than a mite uncomfortable how they’d just let her sit out there playing games on the cortex while they waited.

Of course, if Mal had listened in the first place he wouldn’t have been pinched at all. He’d done told Mal that this moon wasn’t safe for him to be seen on, but no, Mal had it in his head that it was his turn to do the shopping and nothing he’d said could change that _húndàn’s_ mind.

He ignored the niggling little voice that was telling him if he’d told Mal _why_ it wasn’t safe than maybe he would have been more receptive to hearing him out.

And even if River did go and tell them, like as not Mal’d just let him cool his heels for a spell. Damn fool would probably think this was just another one of the countless warrants out for him.

Only it weren’t. This was the first one. The one Jayne knew he’d never live through; the one that kept him running and not trusting. The one he was ashamed of and never breathed a word about to no one.

Shamed of the way he’d run and left others behind to deal with the fallout. Not just any others, but his family. That was his one regret: that he’d had to leave them behind when he ran. No matter how proud of him they were for getting out, he knew he didn’t deserve to ever have anyone trust him again if he could do a thing like that. Just knowing they were still stuck on this dung heap of a planet, forced to bow down to every whim of the mighty Thiodore and his prick of a son made him ill.

But he just couldn’t go back, not even for them. He’d rather be dead.

He sat up straighter as River’s head popped up, her gaze drawn to the door. His blood ran cold as Junior, sorry, His Royal Highness, Theodore Patterson II, walked in. He was so fucked. And what the _gorram_ hell was River doing shaking his hand?

Jayne stood and moved over to the bars, but they were too far away for him to hear more then the murmur of voices. He forced his jaw to close, didn’t want to be caught looking all dumbfounded. Not that any of them had spared him a glance. He felt the rage seething up; not a one of them gave a good _gorram_ what he thought of any of this.

And then it hit him. River knew. The moon brain knew!

Still didn’t make any sense why she had come along, or why she was talking to Junior all…businesslike.

No. She couldn’t be. No way she had that kinda money!

The sick feeling in the pit of his stomach grew as Junior took River’s hand and gave a quick bow over it before he turned and strode out of the jail without one single glance in Jayne’s direction.

He fought back the bile threatening to come up as River turned and lead one of the deputies over to his cell. The large, brown eyes that looked up at him were calm and emotionless as she saved him in the worst way possible.

Jayne had to force himself not to bite her hand off as she reached into the cell.

Her fingers fastened on the slave collar around his neck.

**Author's Note:**

> Chinese: húndàn - asshole/bastard  
> 


End file.
